Innocent Feelings
by Lilly-sama
Summary: Something about Gohan has been puzzling Videl, and as she slowly understands, it starts to affect the way she sees her spiky haired friend... Watch how things evolve between the two of them while they grow closer. **Warning! FLUFF**
1. Blush

_I'm back with a new fanfic. For those who are waiting for my other ongoing stories to be updated, I'm really sorry for making you wait so long, but I don't have the inspiration to write those as of now, unfortunately... Rest assured however, that I WILL continue them, eventually. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this new piece... I have a few chapters of this story already written, but I'm not gonna rush updating them as I might take a while (again) to update once they're all up. I'm usually quite slow... so I apologize in advance. I do hope, however, that you have a good time reading _Innocent Feelings_; I must warn you though, there's LOTS of fluff ahead! xD_

_Without further ado, enjoy!_

* * *

_Innocent Feelings_

1. Blush

.

It happened for the first time on the second week after Gohan got in her class. During his first week, they had kind of become friends, even though Videl kept getting the feeling that he wasn't being completely truthful, but no physical contact was made.

On the second week, however, while they were playing baseball in PE, they had reached for a rolling ball at the same time and their hands touched. Gohan had straightened up so fast she hardly saw his movement, but she did see very well how beet-red his face had gotten. He was blushing furiously and stuttering an apology, and even Videl had to admit—he looked adorable. She was, however, a little confused by his strong reaction, so after PE, she decided to touch his hand again, to see if he would react the same way.

So, as they were talking and walking together back to class, with Erasa and Sharpner walking ahead of them, Videl "accidentally" brushed his hand with hers. As she suspected, he gulped audibly—his face flaring up even as he tried to look as if nothing had happened. She thought it was kind of cute that Gohan would blush every time he had physical contact with a girl. Hence, she assumed he was just really shy given that he'd been homeschooled his whole life.

But then some time later, a girl from their class was openly flirting with him by his locker—even going as far as touching his arm! But… to Videl's surprise—Gohan didn't blush. He didn't even seem to notice the girl's advances. He acted like it was just a friendly conversation, and soon enough the girl gave up and left, obviously frustrated. Videl was confused. Why didn't Gohan blush like usual? Maybe he got used to being around girls and overcame his shyness or something… Yeah, that probably was the reason.

From there, Videl stopped thinking about it and focused back to unmasking Satan City's new superhero—the Great Saiyaman. She would chase him around the city with her jetcopter, corner him to pry information out of him, and even jump at his helmet to try and unmask him. Of course, with the man's super powers, all of her attempts had been futile.

One day however, the blushing thing with Gohan happened again. After class, she had noticed that he had forgotten his math book, so Videl brought it to him while he was, strangely enough, heading for the roof. As she handed it to him, their hands brushed, and Gohan blushed deep red instantly, leaving in a rush while throwing a "see you tomorrow!" over his shoulder.

And again, Videl was confused.

She had thought that he had just been really shy with girls at first, but that now he'd gotten used to being around members of the opposite sex. But that wasn't it, apparently, as any physical contact with her seemed to make him blush every time. It seemed to work only with her.

Did that mean… Could it be that Gohan…?

She felt heat rush to her face at the thought. Did Gohan _like_ her? It would certainly explain why he blushed every time they touched. Now that she thought about it, he was always nervous around her, and she had caught him looking at her quite a few times too. It made sense.

Gohan liked her.

Following this discovery, Videl found it hard to look at Gohan without blushing a little. She admitted to herself that he was quite handsome. Plus, he was kind, smart, caring, sweet, funny, fun to hang out with… _and_ he liked her. Not because she was famous, or because of who her dad was. He genuinely liked her, for who she was.

If it weren't for her father's rule of "no boy can date my daughter unless he's stronger than me", she figured she wouldn't have minded going out with Gohan. But the boy wasn't a fighter; she'd seen him take a punch to the face, only to crash into a pile of boxes back when she was still suspecting him to be the Great Saiyaman. That incident had definitely changed her mind about it.

As time went on however, things only got worse for Videl—she began to develop a crush on the boy. She tried to persuade herself that it was just a stupid little crush, that it would go away soon enough, but the more time she spent with Gohan, the more smitten she found herself to be.

It had been almost two months since Gohan started high school now, and Videl's feelings for the boy still didn't go away, only growing stronger it seemed. She was telling herself that she wouldn't make a move on him because of her father, but in truth, she could just date Gohan behind his back. No, the real reason was that she was scared.

Videl Satan, scared to be in a relationship. Now wasn't that just rich…

As she walked home after school, the girl's thoughts kept going back to Gohan. His adorable, sometimes silly smiles, his handsome, naive eyes, the way he scratched the back of his head when he was nervous or embarrassed, or just confused… his gentle expression when he looked at her sometimes, and of course, how cute he looked when he blushed.

She didn't realize she was crossing the street on a red light until she heard the loud shrill of a horn. Turning her head, she saw a truck failing to break as it headed towards her at astonishing speed. It was going to be too late she realized; even if she tried, she wouldn't be fast enough to avoid it. Momentarily frozen, she was jostled by a sharp jerk at her arm, and the next thing she knew—she slammed against something… hard. But it wasn't the truck, for she heard it as it sped right passed her. Blinking, Videl realized that she was wrapped against someone's chest—a male somebody, one who was evidently tall for she barely reached his shoulders. Blushing slightly at their position, she looked up to face and possibly thank her savior, only…

She was met with Gohan's concerned eyes.

"Are you okay Videl? You really gave me a scare just now…"

Surprisingly, the first thought that crossed her mind was:

_He's not blushing…_

Snapping out of it, she answered his question. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks to you," she added with a grateful smile.

Gohan flushed intensely all of sudden, as if he'd just realized the position they were in. Immediately, he stepped back from her, avoiding her gaze while awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

_Guess I didn't have to wait long_, she thought with an amused smile. He really looked cute when he blushed like that, and the fact that she was the only one who could make him so nervous and flustered was quite enticing. Feeling a little devious, she decided to tease him slightly.

Moving closer to him, her chest inches apart from his, she peered up at his face and touched his arm, pulling her best innocent look. He got even redder, gulping loudly as beads of sweat rolled down his face. Inwardly, she smirked.

"Are you okay, Gohan? Your face is all red…" she said in a concerned voice, even though she knew very well that she was the reason he was blushing so much.

"Y-Yeah, I'm g-good," he stuttered uneasily. She then reached up, touching his forehead as Gohan kept getting redder, his eyes slightly wide as he stared at her.

"Your face is burning," she said quietly. She wondered if it was such a good idea to tease him—his face looked just about ready to burst.

"I-I'm fine Videl, really," he insisted, though his breathing was getting heavier too.

_Am I having that much of an effect on him?_ She silently wondered, still looking up at his flushed face. Gohan looked away.

"Um… Vi… Videl?" he called in an unusually high pitched voice, looking more and more nervous.

"Yes?"

"Y-You're… Um… You're really c-close… I-It's… Um… It's m-making me… uncomfortable… " the boy stammered, his face as beet-red as ever. Videl cracked a smile; he looked so adorable when he was nervous. Regardless, she took a step back, deciding that she had teased him enough.

"Sorry, I didn't realize," she lied. Gohan looked back at her and smiled softly, rubbing the back of his neck as his cheeks slowly cooled down.

"Ah, it's fine. It's just… " His voice trailed off and he blushed again. Videl looked at him in curiosity, wondering what he was about to say.

"It's just, what?" she asked, urging him to go on.

"Nevermind," he said quickly, shaking his head as if to clear his mind. "I'll get going then. Be more careful when you cross the road ok? See you tomorrow Videl."

He turned around and began to walk away, but the girl's voice stopped him:

"You like me, don't you?"

His heart stopped for a moment, and then it started doing a marathon in his chest, beating so fast that he felt like it was going to explode any second now. He swallowed; his back was still to her, and the teen wasn't sure he was ready to face her now. How did she find out? Was he really that obvious?

Gohan breathed in deeply, gathering some courage. He didn't want to lie to her, not this time, not about his feelings. For once, he wanted to be honest with Videl.

"Yes," he replied. Then, he turned around to face her; she was blushing, and looked surprised. She probably didn't expect him to confirm it, he figured.

"Yes," he repeated, with more confidence. "I do like you."

Time seemed to stand still as the two stared at each other. They weren't aware of the busy streets around them; it was like the world went mute. Slowly, Videl stepped towards Gohan, not breaking eye contact. Her hand found his much larger one, intertwining their finger; she cracked a smile when the tall boy blushed again, glancing down at their joined hands before looking back at her.

"I didn't expect you to admit it," she said honestly. "I thought you were going to deny it."

"I figured as much," he chuckled softly, using his free hand to scratch the back of his head. "But I… I didn't want to lie. I'm terrible at it anyway."

Videl grinned at this: she could only agree. "Yeah, you sure are."

They stayed silent for a time, still gazing at each other's eyes and smiling. Although Videl didn't verbally accept his feelings, Gohan felt light-hearted. He'd begun developing feelings for her quite fast, and had been trying to hide it for the past several weeks. Obviously, he didn't do such a good job, but now he couldn't care less. Videl was holding his hand, she was smiling at him, she wasn't pushing him away. She may have not said it out loud, but even as clueless as he usually was, Gohan knew that she wasn't rejecting him.

Nonetheless, he needed her to confirm it. He needed to make sure that he wasn't just imagining things, that he actually had a chance with her. He needed to hear her say it.

He flushed at the thought of asking her bluntly, but he couldn't really think of another way to bring it up. So, gathering his courage, and trying not to stutter, Gohan asked:

"Does that mean… Um… Do you feel the same way…?"

A pink hue covered her cheeks as she looked away shyly—an expression Gohan rarely saw on her, if ever—but one he wished he could see more often. He really liked that cute side of her.

"Well… Um… I… "

Gohan chuckled as her face got redder. Well, he wasn't the one stuttering and blushing for once. And he could really get used to this side of Videl.

She bit her lip in hesitation—something the Son boy thought looked absolutely adorable. Acting on impulse, he lifted her chin to make her look at him, smiling softly when he met her eyes.

She looked away again, her face growing hotter, and leaned in to bury her face in his chest. She sighed in frustration while Gohan wrapped one arm around her his other hand still holding hers—giving it a light squeeze.

"Do I really need to say it? It's embarrassing," she complained, keeping her blushing cheeks hidden against his chest. He chuckled, feeling his face heat up as he dared bury it in her neck, relishing her beautiful scent.

"I guess you don't," he whispered softly, unknowingly making her shiver as his breath brushed her skin. "But I would like to hear you say it."

She stayed silent, and Gohan couldn't help feeling disappointed, figuring that she was too embarrassed to tell him how she felt. He really wished she would, though.

His arm tightened around her suddenly.

"I really like you, you know," he said softly. His heart began racing in his chest and his face heated up some more as he kept going, "So, um… since you didn't reject me… Um… " He trailed off, and Videl pulled away slightly to look at him. Her eyes grew slightly wider as she realized what he wanted to ask her. Not looking away, the girl bit her lip, waiting for him to continue. She could feel her face become hotter and hotter as his expression softened.

Somehow, gazing at her beautiful eyes soothed him, and Gohan smiled as the words escaped his lips in surprising ease.

"Will you go out with me?"

* * *

**A big thanks to gue22, my new beta! :D**

_05.13.2013-_


	2. Misunderstanding

2. Misunderstanding

.

"_Will you go out with me?"_

The words seemed to hang in the air as Videl stayed silent, her eyes not leaving his. Gohan was looking at her with a hopeful expression, a gentle smile stretching his lips while he waited for her answer.

Videl bit her lip and looked down. She wanted to say yes. God, how she wished she could say yes... But how would her dad react? Would he actually demand to fight Gohan? Yes, she could always date Gohan behind his back, but... how long would their secret last?

What if _they _didn't last?

"Videl...?"

She closed her eyes. She was such a coward. How could she be so fearless and fight dangerous criminals without a second thought, and yet be so scared of ending up with a broken heart?

She heard Gohan sigh, and looked back at him; only he was avoiding her gaze now. His hand let go of hers then, his other arm released her waist, and he stepped back. Videl shivered as his warmth left her.

"I'm sorry," he said, still avoiding looking at her. "I thought..." He sighed again, running his hand through his spiky hair. "I guess I misunderstood."

Her heart dropped. She lowered her head and clenched her fists, mentally berating herself. Great. Just great. Because of her own cowardice, now Gohan thought that she didn't like him.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable," he continued quietly. He sighed again. "I better get going... See you tomorrow."

When Videl looked up, Gohan was already walking away, his shoulder slightly slumped. Reaching out towards him, the girl opened her mouth to say something, anything, to hold him back but no sound came out. She felt a dry lump form in her throat as Gohan got further and further away, thinking that she rejected him, that she didn't share his feelings. That he misunderstood her actions.

_You idiot, it's now that you're misunderstanding my actions,_ she thought helplessly, watching until Gohan was out of sight; her arm fell to her side as the tall boy disappeared in the crowd.

She felt terrible. The boy she had a crush on just confessed to her and asked her out, and because of her foolish hesitation he concluded that she didn't like him back. She knew it must have been difficult for Gohan to confess, with how shy he was; but what made her feel worse was that it was her who brought it up in the first place. She didn't even know what had possessed her to ask him if he liked her—it was just so damn _obvious_, she couldn't help it. Although, she honestly hadn't thought that Gohan would answer her truthfully... and she had felt so happy when he did.

And then he'd asked her out, catching her completely off guard, but also bringing out all of her fears and hesitations. Which made him believe that she was rejecting him.

Gah! _Why _didn't she say yes?

ooOoo

Things only got worse from there. Every time Videl tried to talk to Gohan, he got really tense and left in a rush, obviously avoiding her. She couldn't blame him, she knew it was her fault that Gohan believed, albeit wrongly, that she didn't share his feelings. But how on earth was she supposed to explain herself if she couldn't even freaking talk to him?!

Gohan also stopped having lunch with her, Erasa and Sharpner, and he even changed his seat in class to the front, pretexting—and visibly lying—that his eyesight was getting bad. He pretty much stopped hanging out with them, much to the confusion of the two blonds. In two months, they had become good friends with him and enjoyed his company—yes, even Sharpner, despite what he might say—, and now it was like it all never happened. Like they weren't friends anymore.

And it was frustrating the hell out of Videl.

Not only was Gohan avoiding her, but he was also letting this misunderstanding affect their friends. For someone so smart, the boy could sure act childishly. If she could just talk to him for one minute... But the idiot wasn't even giving her that minute!

She wasn't about to give up without a fight though; Videl Satan was well-known for her unfailing determination for a reason, after all. She just had to find a way that would make Gohan listen to her, whether he liked it or not.

After about a week of trying, and failing to get Gohan to hear her out, the solution suddenly hit her during lunch. After all, she'd had two months to understand just how much the guy loved food. She was pretty sure that he wouldn't interrupt his favorite time of the day for anything, not even if she tried talking to him—well, she hoped so. It was her best bet anyway.

With that idea in mind, Videl excused herself from her friends and left the cafeteria to go looking for Gohan, determined to clear up the misunderstanding.

She found the oblivious teen sitting by himself at one of the picnic tables in the courtyard, devouring his lunch like only he was able to. There were a bunch of kids around having lunch outside, but no one in hearing range. It was the perfect time to go to him: he still had plenty of food around him, and no one would disturb them. Videl walked up to him.

"Gohan, can we talk?"

He jumped when he heard her, then started coughing as he tried to swallow his food, hitting his chest several times to make it pass. The girl frowned in concern as she sat down beside him, asking him if he was alright. He kept coughing as he nodded, then finally swallowed, breathing out a sigh of relief. She grabbed a bottle of water from the table and handed it to him. Their fingers brushed ever so slightly as Gohan took the bottle, his cheeks reddening a little. Avoiding her gaze, he muttered a quiet "thanks" before gulping down the refreshing drink.

He set the bottle aside, glanced at her quickly then turned to his food, as if he was wondering if it was okay to continue eating now. Videl cracked a smile at the look on his face, watching his meal longingly, obviously restraining himself while she was there.

"Gohan, about the other day..." she trailed off as she saw him tense right away, his fists tightly closed on his lap. Trying not to let his reaction affect her, she kept going, "I wanted to say—"

"Please don't."

His voice was soft as he cut her off. Videl blinked, having not expected him to interrupt her. Then she frowned. Was he going to leave again before she had a chance to tell him what she meant to say? She couldn't let that happen, not again.

"Gohan, listen—"

"Don't," he cut her off again. "Please Videl, just don't. It hurts enough to think about it and see you every day... Please don't bring it up."

"But Gohan—"

"Videl, please. If you want to apologize, or whatever, you don't need to. It's not your fault anyway, it's mine. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions so quickly, I shouldn't have put you in such an awkward position... I shouldn't have asked you out at all."

He whispered the last part, having not looked at her once while he had spoken. Then, he stood up, still avoiding looking at her, said that he didn't feel like eating anymore, and walked away.

Videl was dumbfounded. But it was quickly replaced by a very strong frustration. She couldn't believe the guy! He wouldn't even let her finish one freaking sentence for god's sake! He said that he shouldn't have jumped to conclusions that day, but he just kept doing it now! Just how dumb could he be?!

"You idiot!" she yelled, suddenly standing up.

Her frustrated cry was followed by silence, as now everyone around was looking at her. But Videl was way too upset to care. She glared at Gohan, who was now looking back at her with a surprised and confused expression. It only made her angrier.

"Why won't you just let me talk goddammit! I've been trying and _trying _to clear up this misunderstanding, but you just keep getting in my way! You're such a pain! Gah!"

He blinked, obviously not getting why she was so worked up. She gritted her teeth as she struggled not to go strangle the handsome idiot for being so irritatingly clueless.

"... Misunderstanding?" he repeated slowly, clearly not getting it. The crowd around them kept quiet and looked on with interest, their heads following the boy and the girl through the courtyard as one spoke up.

"Just how dumb can you be!" Videl fumed, visibly unaffected by their audience. "You never even let me answer you, and just concluded that I said no! And I've been trying to clear it up all week and _you wouldn't even let me_! UGH!"

His eyes widened, his lips parting slightly. Some understanding finally reaching his face—mixed with uncertainty.

"Wha...Wha...?" he trailed off, looking utterly dumbstruck.

"You still don't get it?" she continued a bit more calmly. Though, still very much upset. To the onlookers' surprise, a deep blush formed on her cheeks as Videl kept glaring at the resident school nerd.

"I wanted to say yes!" she blurted out, her face beet-red. "In fact, I'd love to be your girlfriend!"

The silence never felt thicker as it did then; but when the information sank in, whispers broke out from everywhere around, and Videl suddenly became aware of her audience. Her blush got even brighter at the realization, seeing that all the eyes were focused on her. Embarrassed beyond belief, she ran away from the courtyard, wanting nothing more than to find a hole and hide in there forever.

As her steps got further and further away, Gohan found himself going after her, tuning out the whispers all around that were getting louder and louder. He didn't even pause when the bell rang. He couldn't care less at the moment.

* * *

_05.21.2013-_


	3. Together

3. Together

.

When Videl didn't come back to the cafeteria after the bell rang, her two blonde friends shared a look, wondering where she was. Maybe she got a call from the police on her way to wherever she had gone to; if that was the case they probably wouldn't see her until much later.

Their assumption turned out false, however, as when Erasa and Sharpner got back in class, Ruler, the boy with glasses that sits in front of them, immediately filled them in with what happened in the courtyard.

"You guys won't believe it!"

And indeed, they had trouble believing the story. However, Ruler wasn't the only one who had seen the scene, and they all confirmed his version.

"I guess it does make sense." Erasa observed thoughtfully.

"What do you mean? Of course it doesn't make any sense!" Sharpner countered indignantly. "Why would Videl prefer Brains over me?"

The blonde girl rolled her eyes. Why Sharpner still believed he had a chance with Videl, even after all the times she'd clearly—and sometimes violently—rejected him, remained a mystery.

"Think about it!" she pressed on. "Gohan started avoiding Videl about a week ago, right? That must've been when this misunderstanding took place."

"Well maybe it wasn't a misunderstanding!" Sharpner pleaded, still denying the obvious.

"I don't think so," Ruler commented. "Videl clearly said that she wanted to be with Gohan."

"To be more precise," Rubby, a girl sitting behind them cut in, making them all turn their head toward the chestnut-haired teen. "What she said was, and I quote: 'in fact, I'd love to be your girlfriend!'."

"That can't be true!" protested the long-haired boy.

"That's what she said though," Ruler confirmed, shrugging his shoulders. "We were quite surprised, too. I mean, it's pretty obvious that Gohan likes Videl, but no one would have guessed that she likes him too."

"I don't get why Videl never talked to me about it," Erasa pouted, crossing her arms. "I'm her best friend!"

"You know Videl's not the kind of girl to talk about that stuff," Rubby reminded. "She looked really embarrassed when she realized that everyone was looking at her, too."

"I can't believe she likes that bookworm!" Sharpner lamented pitifully. His friends shook their heads at him. And then went back to discussing the topic of Videl and Gohan.

Oddly enough, all this happened while the elderly teacher kept droning on his lecture, seemingly oblivious of the discussions in his class. Or maybe he just didn't care.

ooOoo

She knew he was running after her; he had called out her name several times already, but Videl felt too ashamed to face anyone right now, especially not Gohan. She didn't want him to see her like this.

It was so embarrassing. It shouldn't have happened like that, and certainly not in front of everyone. She had only wanted to clear up the misunderstanding between them, but now she had just made a fool of herself in public, and was most likely the topic of all conversations at school. Why did it turn out like this?

"Videl, wait! Please!" she heard Gohan call out from behind her; but she just kept running, unwilling to stop and face him. She just couldn't. Not now.

She vaguely heard him curse under his breath, and then out of the blue she felt a sharp jerk at her arm and landed right on his chest, his arms wrapping around her shoulders and holding her firmly against him.

"Will you stop running away already?" He muttered, his arms tightening around her.

He didn't say anything else afterwards, simply held her in his arms, and Videl kept quiet as well, slightly winded from running. She didn't quite understand how Gohan wasn't even the slightest bit out of breath, as well as how he had managed to catch up to her in an instant; but her mind drifted off as the boy's scent reached her nostrils.

She wondered what kind of aftershave he used, because he smelled really nice. Like a refreshing wind, and wild nature, mixed with his unique fragrance. As Videl slowly regained her breath, she found herself soothed by Gohan's slightly intoxicating scent. She felt safe in his arms, peaceful. She liked how he was so much bigger than her, how he seemed to engulf her completely; she liked how she felt at ease and comfortable, snuggled up to him like this.

"Can we talk now?" Gohan asked softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

"So now you want to talk?" Videl replied with a chuckle. She didn't expect Gohan to suddenly tighten his hold around her at this.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so, so sorry, Videl. I'm such an idiot."

"It's... fine," she breathed in response. "You're not the only one at fault, I did my share of stupid things too."

He chuckled, and she smiled as it caused his chest to vibrate against her cheek. "I guess we're both not really good at this huh?"

"Mhmm," she nodded, closing her eyes as she relished the closeness. It felt so nice. His warmth, his arms, his scent, the steady sound of his heartbeats... The girl could definitely get used to being held like this. She hadn't expected Gohan to feel so strong and solid, though... Now that she was all snuggled up against him, she was really beginning to notice how broad his chest and shoulders were; and she could definitely feel hard muscles through the fabric of his shirt.

Videl blushed slightly at her thoughts. Was Gohan the type to work out? He didn't seem like it... Maybe he simply practiced some kind of sport...?

"Videl?"

She blinked her eyes open as his hesitant voice brought her out of her musing. Her lips broke into a smile as she noticed that his heart was beating a little faster; she was pretty sure he was blushing, too.

"Yes?"

"I..." He suddenly took a deep breath. "I want to do it right, this time."

"Do it right...?" she repeated slowly, a bit confused.

As a reply, his arms tightened a bit more around her shoulders, and his face leaned in closer; she could feel his breath tickling her ear now, making her shiver slightly.

"I like you, Videl," he said softly, the words making her feel all warm inside. "I like you... a lot. I have for a while now... I think you're... truly beautiful... and your eyes..." His voice trailed off, and he took a deep breath before continuing. "You're really smart, too, and strong, talented, courageous, honest... You care about people, you help them the best you can, and I've always admired that about you. You're also really stubborn, and though sometimes I wish you weren't so hot-headed, it's also a part of you that I like, and I wouldn't change you for anything... I just like you the way you are. I really, really like you."

Her heart was racing. Her fingers clutched the fabric of his shirt, and she closed her eyes, trying to pull herself together. It was a wonder how his words could make her feel so flustered and nervous, yet so happy at the same time.

"I want to be with you, Videl," he went on, his arms tightening a little more around her. "I... I want to be your boyfriend. I want to spend more time with you, only with you. I want to make new memories with you, and learn new things about you. I just... I want to be with you. Go out with me, Videl."

He fell silent, waiting for her answer, still holding her close. Slowly, Videl let go of his shirt, and moved her arms up, wrapping them around his neck; she was glad that he couldn't see how much she was blushing from their position. Trying to calm her pounding heart, she whispered,

"How could I ever say no to you, when you tell me all these beautiful things?"

Gohan slowly moved his arms down and wrapped them around her waist, almost crushing the petite girl against him as he buried his face in the crook of her neck.

"I'm glad..."

They stayed like this for some time, holding each other close, simply relishing the moment. Eventually, however, Gohan pulled away slightly, though still keeping her in his arms, and smiled brightly as he looked down at her, a light blush coloring his cheeks. She couldn't help smiling back at him—it was impossible not to when he looked at her like that.

He took one of his hands from her waist and reached up to move away a few strands from her face, his eyes softening. She bit her lips as his fingers tentatively brushed her forehead, her temple, her cheek, his touch so gentle—and yet so shy, so innocent. Their gaze locked again, and Videl felt her heart pick up from the intensity in Gohan's onyx orbs. His hand cupped her cheek then, his thumb softly caressing her jaw. Slowly, he leaned in, his eyelids closing; Videl did the same, heart hammering as their faces inched closer.

The bell chose this moment to ring, announcing the end of the current period. Both teens pulled apart instantly, their faces bright red in embarrassment as they now stood at a safe distance from one another, avoiding each other's eyes .

"Um..." Gohan started, but he found nothing to say and simply rubbed his neck.

"I guess we missed class huh," Videl said lamely. Who cared about class? They almost kissed just now!

"Oh, yeah, class..." Gohan recalled weakly. And then he suddenly panicked: "Oh no, class! We missed it! Oh no, oh no... My mom's gonna kill me!"

Videl looked at him, baffled. Was he serious? How could he worry about missing class after what almost just happened? He couldn't be that much of a nerd, could he? And to think he was her boyfriend now.

She suddenly flushed at the realization. Gohan was her boyfriend. They were... together. And they almost kissed. The girl touched her cheek. It was tingling. The feeling of his large hand cupping the side of her face, his thumb softly caressing her skin... it still lingered. She could still feel his breath tickle her lips as they were inches apart, so close from contact.

"Videl, we have to go to last period now, we can't miss another class," the serious student advised, bringing her out of her thoughts. The raven-haired girl frowned; couldn't he think about something other than school?

Then she smirked, and Gohan looked slightly taken aback. "And why not? Ditching class is a common thing among teenagers, and you should act more like your age, Mr. Perfect Scores."

"D-D-Ditching class?" he stuttered, looking absolutely horrified with the idea—yet it only made Videl more determined to convince him.

"Come on Gohan, nothing's gonna happen to your perfect grades if you ditch a couple classes. You could always say that you didn't feel well and went home early—it's the common excuse, really."

"Videl..."

The girl in question went over to him and grabbed his hand, looking up at him with a pleading smile. "Come on, please? Didn't you say you wanted to spend more time with me?"

"Well I... I do. But..." he trailed off, hesitating.

"Please, Gohan?" she insisted. "Besides, if we go back to class now after what happened at lunch, we won't be left alone. Everyone will want to know what happened and all—I'm really not looking forward to that," Videl added with a light blush, looking to the side. Gohan sighed.

"Okay, fine..." he finally relented, scratching his hair with his free hand. "I'm not really looking forward to facing everyone either, now that—"

He abruptly stopped and Videl looked back at him, unable to control the grin that formed on her lips as she saw how flushed he was.

"Now that...?" she pressed on. Teasing him was just too tempting.

He just got redder and attempted to reply, but only intelligible stutters came out of his mouth. The girl could only grin wider at the adorable sight. Letting go of his hand, she wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing herself against him as she tried to catch his avoiding gaze.

"Now that what, Gohan?" she asked again. He had turned completely crimson at this point; he was just too cute.

"Vi-Videl, you're really n-not helping now..." the boy stammered, finally looking at her. She chuckled, her eyes gleaming with mirth.

"It's just too fun to tease you," she said, a wide grin lighting up her face. Gohan smiled in turn, his eyes softening, and gently brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers.

"If it makes you smile like that, then I don't mind."

Heat rushed to her face as she stared at the handsome young man, that dazzling smile on his lips as his soft touch on her cheek was making her knees go weak. Swallowing, Videl quickly looked away and grabbed his hand, proceeding to lead him out of the school grounds.

"Anyways, let's go."

* * *

_I did a drawing based off a scene in this chapter, and I'll put a link on my bio page after I submit the picture on deivantART. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for reading, and another big thanks to gue22, my awesome beta reader. :D_

_31.05.2013-_


	4. Date

4. Date

.

As Videl led him through the school gates, Gohan kept glancing down at their joined hands, feeling his face heat up slightly. He still had trouble coming to terms with everything that had happened since lunch.

His gaze lingered on their linked hands for a bit longer, marveling at the contrast between his large, thick hand and her own, so much smaller and slender. He looked back at the pretty girl, pulling him down the street, and cracked a smile as he noticed that she, too, was blushing. They were both completely new to this dating thing, after all.

Gohan's face flared up intensely at that thought; the notion was slowly but surely sinking in. They were dating. He and Videl, they were actually dating. She was his girlfriend, she accepted his feelings, they were together now...

And they almost kissed.

It was like the memory of that fleeting moment suddenly hit him, and the boy flushed even more. Somehow, the idea of missing class had distracted him from thinking back about it. Now, however, it was like he simply could not think of anything else. The way Videl's big, beautiful eyes twinkled as she'd watched him silently, biting down her lip in that adorable way; how her skin had felt so smooth under his touch, and how that warm yet strange fluttering sensation in his stomach had become so much stronger while he had leaned in on impulse, his heart racing in his chest. Everything came back to him, and Gohan swallowed, his mouth getting dry. He shook his head slightly to try to clear his head, and looked about the streets, trying to distract his mind from that very vivid memory.

"Where are we going?" he found himself asking. Videl looked back at him and slowed down her pace, now walking beside him.

"I don't really know," she said with a shrug. "I'm just putting more distance between the school and us."

"Ah, okay."

_I can't believe I'm ditching class... Mom is really going to kill me,_ Gohan thought dreadfully. He scratched the back of his head with his free hand as he glanced at the girl who persuaded him, _his girlfriend_, and felt his face heat up yet again.

Could this be considered... their first date?

This time, his face was burning badly, and the teen bit down his lip in hesitation.

"Is there... Is there somewhere you want to go? Or... something you would like to do in particular?" he asked her anxiously, his face deep red as he met her gaze again. Videl raised her eyebrows; then she averted her eyes as a reddish hue spread across her cheeks, obviously coming to the same conclusion as he did, just moments ago.

"I... I don't know. I didn't really think about it," she replied quietly. "What about you?"

She looked back at him; her blue eyes were distracting, however, and Gohan had to look away in order to answer her properly.

"How about we just wander in the city?" he suggested after some thought, turning to her as he spoke. "I mean, I usually just go to school and go back home every day, maybe you could show me around some nice places? Would that be okay?"

Videl smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that's a great idea."

He smiled brightly in response, and she chuckled softly. Looking about the streets, she seemed to check where exactly they were, probably thinking of where they could go first. Soon enough, she turned back to Gohan.

"There's an ice-cream parlor a few blocks away, how about we head there for a start?"

Videl smirked when Gohan's face lit up completely and he nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, yes, great idea. I'd love some ice-cream."

"I figured that much," she said with an amused grin. Tugging at his hand, she started leading him again. "Come on, this way."

Gohan smiled happily, letting his girlfriend lead him to the ice-cream parlor. His grin got wider at the thought. Videl was his girlfriend. Videl, a girl he would never have imagined he could have, chose _him_, out of all the boys she could easily be with. And they were on a date now. His heart was soaring in joy.

"There we are," the girl in question stated, bringing him out of his day-dream as she stopped in front of the parlor. The Son boy hardly had the time to really see the colorful sign before he was pulled inside. He glanced at their still joined hands, his ever present smile never wavering.

As he and Videl moved to the waiting line, the young Saiyan looked around the parlor. He first noticed that it wasn't very crowded; not many people were standing in line either. That was a good thing, as they wouldn't need to wait very long. Next, he took note of the decor; the shop was neither small nor too big, there were some posters featuring the different kinds of ice-cream they sold, and the walls were decorated with circles of various sizes and colors. A counter and bar-stools were set opposite to the shop window, along with several tables and seats, as well as a few booths in the corners, where some customers were settled at. Finally, the tall boy's attention quickly turned to the shop window, and his eyes lit up upon seeing how many different flavors of ice-cream and sorbet were displayed. There were also fresh fruits as well as various kinds of nuts and chips, and finally cups of different sizes were lined on top of the window. The teen grinned toothily: this place looked simply perfect.

Gohan heard a muffled sound and turned to the source, namely Videl, who was trying, and failing, to contain a sudden fit of giggles. He tilted his head to the side, confused as to what could be so funny all of a sudden. He didn't have to wait long to get the answer.

"The look on your face... I knew you would love it here," she grinned widely, her eyes shining in laughter. The tall boy blushed slightly and lowered his gaze in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck out of habit. Another giggle reached his ears, and then out of nowhere soft lips pressed on his cheek.

Stunned onyx met playful blue; a reddish hue colored her pale cheeks, while a shy yet wide smile decorated her lips. Gohan could feel his own face flare up as he stared at her, dumbfounded by the unexpected kiss. In that moment, the clerk called for their attention, and Videl turned toward the young woman, tugging at his hand as she got to the front of the counter to make an order.

Tuning out what was going on, the Saiyan teen brushed his cheek with the tip of his fingers, and a small smile formed on his lips as he held her hand a little tighter.

Videl _was _his girlfriend. As much as he was having trouble realizing that it was actually happening, that he was actually on a _date _with the girl he liked, the thought of it was making his stomach do incessant flip flops. It was a strange feeling; never before had it felt so strong, so oddly delightful.

When Videl turned around to ask him what he wanted, she wasn't able to stop the heat that rushed to her cheeks as she saw the dazed, faraway look on his face. She didn't really think much when she kissed him on the cheek—but he was just _so damn cute_! _How _was she supposed to _not _be affected by his adorableness? That was just impossible.

She tugged at his hand to get his attention; he blinked a few times, looked around him before refocusing his onyx eyes on her. A gentle, innocent smile formed on his lips in silent inquiry.

There it was again. The adorable look. The girl could already feel her insides melting at the sight.

Oh boy. She really had it bad didn't she?

ooOoo

Last period was always the most frustrating. Being so close to be done with school for the day, while time seemed to be slowing down somehow, was rather unsettling. Today seemed to be worse than usual, with what Erasa had learned about her best friend earlier.

She couldn't wait to be out of there and call Videl, so that she could finally know all the details of what had been going on with her and Gohan the past week, as well as where she was right now. Could they be together somewhere now? From what her classmates said, Videl had run away after her outburst and Gohan had gone after her... Had he managed to catch up to her? She couldn't be sure, as Videl was quite the fast runner, and Gohan was... well, he didn't look very strong. Then again, neither did Videl, so she couldn't really know. Had they managed to clear things up? Or did Gohan lose sight of her and was trying to find her?

The blonde sighed heavily, resting her chin on her crossed arms, on the desk. She didn't like not knowing what was going on with her friends, and this boring class wasn't helping either. At least in the previous period the teacher had been quite lenient and didn't mind to let them talk, but now, with Ms. Skware, no one dared make a sound. It made waiting for the last bell all the more tiring... At least when they were talking time passed faster.

She was still somewhat upset that her friend would keep all this to herself. Did Videl think that she couldn't keep a secret? They were best of friends since forever, and Erasa had never hesitated sharing everything and anything with her; and yet she'd kept something so huge all to herself. Videl _actually _liked a boy, _at last_, might she add, and it was none other than the sweet, innocent and super cute Gohan. That really _was _huge news. But why would Videl keep silent about it? To her?

Yes, she knew Videl wasn't the girly type, at all, but the short haired blonde had liked to think that she would be the first to know when her best friend finally crushed on someone. It was disappointing that Videl had never even mentioned it to her; but, she hoped that she would at least get to hear the details about everything that happened when she called her.

Well, if this class was _ever _going to end. It sure didn't feel that way...

ooOoo

Gohan was just starting to make an order when the all-too familiar, and currently unwelcomed beeping sound went off. He turned to his girlfriend, who looked at him apologetically. Reluctantly, she let go of his hand and reached for the button of her wristwatch. Pausing as she was about to press it, she looked up at him with a disappointed expression.

"I'm really sorry, Gohan," Videl said with a resigned sigh, before pushing the button to answer the call.

Listening to the situation, Gohan felt more worried about her than disappointed; although, he was pretty bummed that their first date was already coming to an end. But there was no helping it...

"Okay, I'm coming right away." Ending the call, Videl sighed again as she turned to him. "I'm so sorry, Gohan. I have to go..."

"It's okay," he said with a somewhat sad, yet understanding smile. "It's your job, I get it."

"Erm, excuse me," the clerk woman called for their attention. "Should I cancel the order...?"

They turned to the woman behind the counter, then glanced at each other, a bit embarrassed. Videl sighed. Why did the police have to call her now, of all times?

"You take care of it, I'll be back later. Wait for me here, ok?" she said hurriedly. Glancing at her watch again, she took a few quick steps to the exit—only to be stopped by a firm, yet gentle hand grabbing her wrist, making her look back at the spiky-haired boy.

"Be careful, ok?"

His eyes reflected his worry and the conflicted emotions he must be having. It was obvious that he didn't want her to go, yet he wasn't trying to stop her. He respected her choice and the way she lived, even though he looked so worried about her. Videl felt a pang in her heart for having to leave him behind, while she was out in dangerous situations, but she was also really grateful that he was so understanding. Although, right now, she could've gone without that police call...

Pulling her arm backwards to drag him down towards her a bit, Videl pecked him on the cheek.

"I will, I promise," she said quietly, while she pulled back. Trying to ignore the burning feeling on her cheeks, she turned around and hurriedly left the ice cream parlor.

Gohan let out a deep sigh as he watched her go. He scratched at his hair, a reddish hue also coloring his cheeks from her kiss.

"So, um... should I cancel the order after all?" the clerk asked, a little embarrassed. As the young man turned to her, he suddenly realized that their little display had had an audience, and the burning sensation in his face deepened instantly.

That was the second time today... Hopefully it wasn't going to become a habit.

"Yes, please. Sorry for the inconvenience."

He hastily walked out the parlor, keen to escape the curious glances he was receiving. But more importantly, Gohan had to make sure his favorite crime fighter was going to be safe. The young Saiyan knew that he would have to tell her about his superhero alter ego soon, though, as he couldn't be with Videl and act as somebody else in disguise at the same time; that would be just wrong of him. Besides, he had been seriously considering telling her about it as of late.

Finding a secluded spot, he pressed the red button on his watch, waited until his special outfit replaced his regular clothes, and took off to the sky, his red cape flapping behind him as he flew towards her ki signature.

As he neared his destination, Gohan promised himself that he was going to tell her about Saiyaman as soon as possible. Keeping up with this lie was no good.

* * *

_I'm going on holiday this sunday for the summer, and while I will have my laptop with me as well as an internet connection I probably won't be on the computer very much. Also, I only have 2 more written chapters left, which means I'm going to take longer to update from now. _

_Well, I hope you're enjoying this story so far. Thanks for reading, review if you want. _

_06.11.2013-_


	5. Restraint

5. Restraint

.

_Free at last!_

Erasa barely stopped herself from shouting it out loud when the final bell of the day went off. Quickly gathering her stuff, she flung her backpack over her shoulder while grabbing her cell phone from her jeans' pocket, hurrying out of the classroom.

"Erasa, hey! Wait up!"

Stopping in her tracks as she was speeding along the hallway, the short haired girl turned around to see Sharpner come up to her. Her hand squeezed her cell a little tighter, her brows furrowing the slightest bit… _Damn it_, she thought, _I need to call Videl!_

"What's with the rush?" asked Sharpner. Noticing the cell phone in her hand, he added, "Gotta make a call?"

"Yes, Sharpner, as a matter of fact, I do," she replied, not bothering to hide the irritation in her voice. "So if you'll excuse me—"

"You're not gonna call Videl, are you?" the taller boy asked, cutting her off.

She frowned. "Why shouldn't I?"

Sharpner leaned his shoulder against a random locker, raising an eyebrow at his usually bubbly friend. It wasn't like her to be snappy, and that frown creasing her features was not a familiar sight.

"She's most likely with Brains right now, you shouldn't bother them."

Her jaw dropped, wide eyes staring at the young man like he'd just grown three heads. _What the heck?_ Less than two hours ago, Sharpner was whining and complaining that Videl chose Gohan, no, _Brains _over him, and now all of a sudden he was OK with it? Talk about getting over a girl in a blink…

He rolled his eyes at the look she was giving him.

"What? It's not like I'm _happy_ about it," he defended. "But at least Gohan genuinely likes Videl, like, he's not after her for bad reasons or anything, and he's _actually_ a good guy. Better him than some worthless idiot."

Erasa blinked. "Wow, I can't believe it."

"What do you mean? I can be mature sometimes, too!" retorted Sharpner in an exaggeratedly indignant tone. She smirked.

"No, I mean—you used Gohan's name for like, the first time in forever. Did you ever call him by his name once? I can't even tell."

"Ha, ha, you're so funny," he said blankly, a bored expression on his face. "Whatever. Videl's really got bad taste in men though. Ah, well. If she prefers brains over brawn, I guess I didn't stand much of a chance. Bah."

Erasa patted him on the shoulder, causing the teen to give her a weird look.

"You're a good friend, Sharpner," she said, smiling.

He rolled his eyes, though a light blush tinted his cheeks. "Pfft, whatever," he mumbled.

Leaning her back against the locker next to the taller boy, Erasa let out a sigh as she looked at the screen of her cell phone. It was already set to call her best friend, all she had to do was press the green key… But as much as she hated to admit it, Sharpner was right. If Videl was indeed with Gohan right now, it was best not to disturb them.

"I could just text her…" she muttered to herself.

"Erasa, leave them be," Sharpner cut in. "Wait for tonight to call her."

"What? I can't wait that long!" the girl cried out, horrified by the prospect of having to wait so long to talk to Videl. "Let me just send her a quick text—hey!"

The young man lazily raised his arm above his head, keeping the pink mobile out of reach from the shorter girl, who jumped fruitlessly to try and take it back.

"Give it back! Hey! It's mine, give it back Sharpner!" she demanded, attempting to take her cell phone from its captor, still in vain.

She got on tip toes and was almost getting there but he simply lifted it up a little higher. Not one to back down from a fight, Erasa placed her hand on his shoulder for leverage, an action that gave her a few inches more. Their height difference really wasn't helping her however; no matter how close she would get to grabbing what was hers, Sharpner only had to lift it up slightly higher and it was out of reach again. Snickering at her expense, the boy received a dark glare in response which only caused him to grin in amusement.

"Just give me my phone back, Sharpner!" she exclaimed angrily. The volume of her voice attracted some attention to the two, several pairs of eyes turning to them in curiosity.

"Promise not to call _or_ text her?" he said, swaying her phone tauntingly.

"Just give it back!"

"Nope. You gotta promise first."

"What are you, _five_? Give it back already, Sharpner! This is _not_ funny!"

"I think it is actually," he mocked, smirking as Erasa huffed in annoyance. It was an expression so unlike the girl, it could only be amusing to watch.

He felt his own cell phone vibrate in his pocket, along with a brief tone, indicating that he'd just got a new e-mail. Using his other hand to grab it while he still kept Erasa's out of reach, the blond haired teen opened his mail box to read the new message. His friend made another attempt for her phone, hoping to use the distraction to her advantage; unfortunately for her, he easily moved out of her way, his hazel eyes focused on the screen.

And then, like it was nothing, he simply tossed her the pink device, which she almost didn't catch as she hadn't expected such a turn of event. Looking at him quizzically as he put his mobile phone back in his pocket, the blonde haired girl eventually shrugged and proceeded to write a new text.

"She's out fighting crime."

"Huh?"

"Videl," specified Sharpner. "She's out fighting crime right now. That's what the e-mail I got was about, I get an alert whenever Videl's name's mentioned on the media."

Erasa blinked at him, then looked at her screen and let out a deep sigh. _Guess I'll really have to wait…_ she thought resignedly.

She was about to go on her way home, but paused as she remembered something she had to do. Walking up to the blonde boy, she smiled up sweetly at him—and then stomped hard on his foot.

"OUCH! OW OW OWWW!"

Watching him skip on his valid leg while holding his sore foot brought her some satisfaction, and Erasa smiled as she turned around to walk away. However, before she left, she told him over her shoulder, "_Never_ mess with a girl's cell!"

Those were wise words, indeed.

ooOoo

It was one of the first things that attracted him to Videl. Ever since he became the Great Saiyaman and helped fight crime in Satan City alongside her, his eyes always strayed towards the petite, yet incredibly strong, stubborn and courageous girl. He always found her to be the most beautiful when that determined, vibrant fire burned in her eyes whenever she was fighting. That must've been when Gohan began to develop feelings for her; her fighting spirit was definitely what made him start to like her in that way. Although, he wasn't quite sure when it actually started… Well, it didn't really matter now.

As he stood atop a tall building near the bank robbery that was currently taking place, Gohan watched her fight a bunch of bulky, hooded men through the dark visor of his helmet, feeling a mix of fascination and worry. She was handling herself quite well, he had to say; she'd managed to disarm the robbers swiftly and was now giving them a well-deserved beating. There were three of them against her—a fourth was already out cold even prior to his arrival—and even with their advantage of numbers they were hardly a challenge for the experienced crime fighter.

Another was down—and the two who remained didn't look like they would be lasting much longer. Gohan felt a smile tugging at his lips as he watched his beautiful girlfriend charge at the already breathless thugs with even more ferocity and precision, not giving them the opportunity to fight back, or even flee from her wrath.

She was really something, that girl. _My Videl…_

And then he felt it—even before it happened, even before one of the supposedly knocked out men groggily reached for his spare gun, hidden around his ankle—Gohan had already left his perched position on the rooftop and rushed straight at the man, his red cape flapping wildly behind him whilst he gathered his _ki_ in his left hand and launched the blast at the robber's wrist, even before the barely conscious man could grab his weapon.

His howl of pain distracted the fighting pair—for only one last criminal was still standing, albeit barely. Gohan wasn't going to let that man take advantage of the situation, though; he caught him about to attempt a foul hit on Videl so he quickly threw a second _ki_-blast at his face, stopping the law breaker in his tracks and effectively knocking him out.

A deep sigh escaped his lips as the police force came forth to take care of the rest, handcuffing the unconscious robbers and carrying them to the police cars surrounding the bank. He hadn't intended to step in this time, but Gohan was glad it was over and no innocent people were harmed. He really needed to tell Videl about Saiyaman as soon as possible; he just couldn't risk the safety of bystanders—and hers, for that matter—for the sake of protecting his secret.

"Good timing, Saiyaman—I really got to run! I'll try and unmask you next time!"

Behind his dark visor, Gohan blinked, his eyes following the girl's trail as she hurriedly climbed in her jet copter and started the engine, the vehicle taking off soon after. He rubbed the back of his neck, a blush quickly forming across his cheeks, partially hidden by his helmet.

Was she in such a hurry… for him? In the two months that he'd been helping her fight crime, this was actually the very first time that Videl didn't try to get information out of him, or jumped for his orange helmet. Was it really because he was supposed to be waiting for her?

"Ah!" he suddenly exclaimed in realization. _I have to hurry, too!_

Just as some news crews were heading towards him, he phased out of sight, much to the astonishment of the reporters and bystanders alike; no matter how many times one was to witness the sight of the superhero suddenly vanishing, they could never get used to it.

Back in a deserted alley, Gohan quickly made sure that nobody was looking his way and pressed the red button on his watch, putting away his colorful outfit in a flash of light. Not a millisecond later, he broke into a run at full speed and focused on his destination, the streets, cars and buildings becoming a blur while he skillfully dodged anything that happened to cross his path.

In mere moments he was back in front of the ice cream parlor, and let out a sigh of relief for he was obviously much faster than Videl's jet copter. As the adrenaline from the run faded away however, the young man felt a pang of guilt prickle inside his chest. What kind of boyfriend was he? He only got together with Videl a couple hours ago at most, and yet here he was, already sneaking around and preparing to lie to her _again_. How could their relationship ever last if he continually broke her trust like that? This couldn't keep going anymore. He hated himself for lying all the time, and now more than ever this whole lie was sickening him. He had to put a stop to it, once and for all. He had to tell Videl—the faster the better.

After some time, his senses signaled that she was close by long before the sounds of her quick steps reached his sensitive ears. Gohan turned in the direction of the thumping noises, eager to meet her again yet feeling anxious at the same time. He couldn't help the smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he caught sight of Videl, disheveled, panting, and even a bit dirty from the fight with the thugs, yet smiling back at him when their eyes met.

She was simply the most beautiful sight.

"I'm so sorry, Gohan," Videl said, catching her breath as she reached him. "Those bastards weren't even that strong—I can't believe the police couldn't even take care of that robbery themselves! Honestly, they're so hopeless!"

He chuckled quietly, reaching over with his thumb to rub a dirt smudge on the soft skin of her cheek. His touch lingered, and she watched him silently, almost mesmerized by his tenderness…

And then his gaze fell on her lips, and Gohan swallowed—damn, he felt like kissing her, right there, right now. He could hardly refrain himself—he was suddenly aching to taste her rosy, beautiful, and oh so tempting lips. He needed to kiss her, _now_. He wanted to _so_ badly…

The teenage boy quickly turned away before the situation could get out of hand. Videl blinked, her heart pounding hard against her chest. She didn't imagine it just now… The way Gohan was leaning toward her, the look in his eyes… he was about to kiss her, wasn't he? Yet he abruptly moved away, and this time there was no bell interrupting them. Was he really that shy or…?

"I think we should call it a day, you must be tired after that robbery," Gohan said, avoiding her eyes. "I'll walk you home."

Grabbing her hand, the boy proceeded to do just that, pulling her gently down the street. He still wasn't looking at her, a bright blush coloring his cheeks, and didn't say a word on the way.

Gohan had come to a decision. It was going to be hard—no, it was going to be much, much worse than that—but he had to go through with it. It was best that he restrained himself until he'd told her the truth about his secret identity… he had to. He would feel like he was taking advantage of the situation… like he was taking advantage of _her_. He couldn't, wouldn't do this to her; he respected her too much. And he cared about Videl way, way too much. No matter how much it was killing him to hold back, he would never, ever hurt her like that.

He glanced at the girl in question—she looked confused and thoughtful, a cute expression that made Gohan smile. Sighing quietly to himself, he hoped he had enough courage to tell her… Because he really, really, _really_ wanted to kiss her. Like right now.

Crap, he was already regretting his decision…

* * *

_Well, I didn't think it would take two months... but here it is. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for reading, and a big thank you to both **gue22** and **SilviaS7** who beta'd this chapter._

_-08.13.2013_


End file.
